Eileen Gu soars to Olympic gold as China embraces dual-culture star

With the pressure of more than a billion people on her shoulders, Eileen Gu soared and spun high into the Beijing sky before landing a stunning double cork 1620 to take Winter Olympic gold. Then, in another considerable feat of nimbleness, the 18-year-old deftly avoided attempts by the world’s media to drag her into a diplomatic incident with the skill of a UN veteran.

It amounted to the performance of these Games, on and off the snow. And across China it also led to an immediate outpouring of support and joy for Gu, who was born in the US before controversially transferring her allegiance to China three years ago.